Leaving Lyoko Behind
by YoungAndRestless
Summary: On the day that the Lyoko Warriors shut down the Supercomputer, they find out that Franz Hopper had a darker side, and that Aelita hadn't been alone all those years on Lyoko. Now juniors in high school, the team struggles to be content with a normal, teenager lifestyle. Odd finds himself attracted to Clarity (OC) Aelita's younger sister. An adult read, lemons in marked chapters.
1. New Warrior

**This fanfic starts right before the last episode of Code Lyoko, ep. 95, Echoes. Xana has been destroyed, and the gang is on it's way to destroy the supercomputer. However, as they are getting ready to do so, a surprising change of situation forces the team to make a rough decision: should the materialize the new life form they have found, (OC) or should they assume it's another XANA trick, and destroy her as well?**

 **This OC's name is Clarity, and you will get to know about her as the story progresses! All you need to know, prior to the story, is that this story's cover image is what she looks like on Lyoko.**

Jeremy Belpois slid down the roped gingerly, his hands shaky with excitement. Today would be the end of it all; the skipping class, the late nights, the mortal danger, the abnormality in his life. Today, he and the other's were finally going to shut down the supercomputer that he had discovered when he was only eleven. Now, two years later, he had successfully extracted Aelita, and now, with X.A.N.A gone ,there was nothing stopping them from finally leading regular, teenager lives.

"Come on, Einstein, we haven't got all day, hurry up! Rosa told me she made spaghetti today, and I want an extra helping of meatballs," Odd called from the elevator.

"Relax Odd, I'm coming," Jeremy responded, walking into the elevator and punching in the code to shut the metal door. Quickly, he keyed in the code for the programming room, one that he had typed in so many countless times before. Aelita gently held his hand, and smiled at him reassuringly as the elevator began to descend into the factory.

After some groaning and protesting, the elevator doors opened, revealing the blue lit room; the control center, where all their Lyoko missions had been coordinated and directed from. Jeremy sighed, looking about the room one final time, and walked slowly over to the chair and keyboard he had sat at hundreds of times.

"Jeremy, I thought we were headed to the supercomputer room," Ulrich groaned, leaning against the elevator's wall and shaking his head.

"That's just like Einstein, can't stop programming for a moment," Odd said. "It's a shame, really."

"Believe me, Odd," Jeremy called over his shoulder, "I won't be doing any programming for the next few days after this. I could use a break! I just wanted to stop here real quick and grab my headset. It didn't come with the supercomputer, you know." He snatched his personal headset off of the keyboard, and began turning around and heading back to the others. He glanced at the several screens nostalgically, and his eyes found something strange. "Well, that's peculiar," Jeremy muttered, turning back to face the screens.

"Come on, Jeremy, if we don't hurry, not only will we miss all of lunch, but I will be late for my math class," Yumi sighed, crossing her arms impatiently. Jeremy looked at the elevator, then back at the screen, then back to the elevator filled with his friends again, counting in his head.

"Jeremy? What's wrong?" Aelita called, tilting her pink head in worry. She walked over to Jeremy, and looked at the screens as well. After a moment, her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh my goodness!"

"What? What's going on?" Odd asked, running over to the computer screens as well, slowly followed by Ulrich and Yumi.

"There's a genetic sequence reading being picked up from the forest sector by the supercomputer's most recent downloaded content that I programmed. According to the readings, there is… someone on Lyoko." On the screen, a green arrow was moving around the screen meanderingly and slowly, as if it didn't have a destination in mind.

"Maybe it's William," Ulrich growled, his voice thick with suspicion. "It wouldn't be the first time he went around behind our backs."

"No, I saw William going into the principal's office before lunch started. He got caught defacing some walls in the boys lavatory," Aelita said, shaking her head.

"Well, who is it then?" Ulrich questioned, itching the back of his head.

"I'm not sure, but… their signature arrow? The one that tells me your location on Lyoko? This one is green… just like Aelita's." There was a moment of silence.

"And… that's significant?" Odd asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well… yes. All of yours are yellow, same as William's. Aelita's been the only one to ever having a green marker." Jeremy put his earpiece in, and turned it on quickly. "Hello? Hello? Unknown life form, can you hear me?" At his voice, the green arrow froze on screen. Then, suddenly, it shot across the screen quickly, before disappearing into a white circle. "Whoever they are, they aren't responding, and they just went into a unactive tower." There was a moment of silence, as the group pondered the meaning.

"Come on, Jeremy. Let's go shut it down already. For all we know, it's one of X.A.N.A's leftover traps, and we are walking right into it! I say, we just shut it down now, before we sign up for another three years of a virtual war that none of us want to fight."

"No, don't," Aelita whimpered, shaking her head. "If that is, in fact, a person on Lyoko, than we can't just shut down the computer! We would be condemning someone to a endless cyber sleep, and they would be stuck there until someone else turned the computer back on! And that's if someone can even find it, and compute it, and understand all the coding involved."After a moment of silence, she looked at her toes. "I know what it's like to be stuck for years, giving up most of your life…" After some thought, Jeremy sighed.

"Alright, fine. You guys will go on one, final mission to Lyoko. Let's find out who this mysterious being is," Jeremy nodded, turning back to the computer.

"Alright, one final mission for the Lyoko Warriors!" Odd cheered, running back to the elevator first. The elevator whizzed down to the scanner room below, and Odd and Ulrich stepped into the scanner's first.

"Transfer Odd, transfer Ulrich. Scanner Odd, Scanner Ulrich. Virtualization!" Jeremy punched the enter key on his key board, and the two boys landed squarely in front of a tower, the forest sector soaring above them. "Alright, guys," Jeremy's voice said, from above. "The person is inside the tower. Enter with caution. Yumi and Aelita are on their way."

"On the case, Einstein," Odd said, sashaying over to the tower. "I've got this," he called over his shoulder, waving off Ulrich's advance. Odd gently placed his hand on the tower's black base, and with a quiet whirring sound, was absorbed inside. Odd opened his eyes, and instantly felt self conscious of his ridiculous, purple cat suit.

Sitting in the center of the platform, her eyes wide with fright, sat a girl. Her eyes took in his form, and she tugged on her long, green locks nervously as her other hand slowly slipped behind her back, where Odd couldn't see.

"Wow! Cool hair! You look like one of the fighters from my Street Fighter games! Hi, I'm Odd, and it's a plea- -" From around her back, the damsel yanked a long, black, two pronged whip that glowed a bright pink. In the blink of an eye, the twin tails lashed across Odd's chest, and sent him hurling out of the tower. As he scuttled across the ground, and stopped next to Ulrich's feet, Aelita and Yumi dropped down from above.

"Odd! Watch it!" Jeremy cried from above, his voice scratchy from the virtual feedback. "You just lost seventy life points!"

"With one hit?" Odd gasped, standing up slowly.

"What happened!" Aelita asked, helping him up. Just then, the unknown girl dashed out of the tower, and zipped by the group of four.

"After her!" Yumi said. As the chase began, with Ulrich leading the way, Aelita ran behind the others, shielding herself from damage. "Jeremy, you can send our vehicles now," Yumi called, huffing as she sprinted after the disappearing green hair. Whoa, she was _fast!_

"On their way," Jeremy apologized; the Overbike virtualized directly in front of Ulrich, who flipped onto it effortlessly. "Care to hop on, princess?" Ulrich called back. Aelita climbed on, slightly more cautious, with a smile; Yumi and Odd, each on their own respective vehicles, whizzed by. "Let's go," Ulrich said, revving the throttle and following the others.

They quickly gained ground on the mysterious female, her orange skirt flapping behind her. "She looks like a fairy," Yumi called behind her.

"Hey! Pixie! Hold up, we just wanna' talk!" Ulrich shouted. "Surround her! We've got to get her to stop and talk to us," Ulrich ordered. The other's sped up and encircled her. Odd whipped around, hovering in front of her, holding his hands up calmingly.

"Hold on, we just want to talk," Odd said, trying to smile charmingly. With a grunt and a smirk, she pulled out her first whip, and, hidden behind curtain of green hair, pulled out a second one. She began to shift her weight rhythmically, her twin whips snaking across the ground.

"I'm not one for conversation," she said. Odd blinked; her voice was so…familiar! Where had he heard it before? With a high pitched grunt, one of her whips lashed quickly forward, snapping at the Overboard beneath him. It flickered out of existence, and Odd fell clumsily on his back. Turning around, as if moving in a sacred dance, she spun and lashed one of her whips at Yumi, hitting her squarely on the face. She cried as she fell back.

As Jeremy shouted that Yumi had lost sixty five life points, Ulrich helped Aelita off of the Overbike. "Go, hide behind those rocks over there," her whispered. As Aelita dove for cover, Ulrich yanked out his twin katanas. "You're not the only one with two weapons," Ulrich shouted, calling the aggressive strangers protection. "Super Sprint!" Ulrich dashed forward, his blades ready. The girl's eyes narrowed, and just as Ulrich was getting close enough for impact, she smiled.

"Safeguard!" she cried. Her long, slithering whips retracting back to her; in a nano second, the whips were surrounding her in a large, seething black orb. Ulrich slashed at it quickly, only to have his blades deflect away uselessly. As he took a breath, the four, knobbed ends of the bull whips flicked out viciously, slashing Ulrich on the chest, and sending him flying backwards.

"Ulrich!" Yumi cried, running to his side. The black shield around the stranger untangled, and she smiled innocently as the coils rested motionless on the ground around her.

"You're going to have to do much better than that, X.A.N.A, if you want to beat me," she smirked, shaking her head.

"Laser Arrow!" Two of Odd's arrows dug into her shoulder blade painfully from behind, and she screamed in surprise. She whipped around angrily. She sent one of her whips out with a flick, and Odd braced for the pain, squeezing his eyes shut with anxiety. Her whip wrapped around Odd's body, pinning his arms and tail to his body as he was cocooned with the black leather. With a yelp of surprise, he was yanked across the forest floor, face to face with the aggressor. She twirled him around, and buried her fist into his blonde hair, yanking his head back to a extreme angle.

"Uh, guys!" Odd whimpered. Yumi, who was helping Ulrich to his feet, gasped at seeing him captive. Her other whip slithered around menacingly, a wordless warning.

"Drop your weapons," she hissed. With a grumble, Ulrich and Yumi threw down their swords and fans. There was a moment of absolute stillness, then with a twitch of her hand, her second whip shot out. The two twin heads wrapped around their ankles, one around Ulrich, one around Yumi. With a tug, both crashed onto their backs.

"Aelita, now!" Ulrich shouted. Aelita jumped out from her cover, and the stranger tilted her head to the side, a confused furrow in her brow.

"Aelita?" she questioned.

"Energy Field!" Aelita shouted, sending a pink orb at the fighter. Releasing Odd from her web, she dodged out of the way, rolling out of harm's way.

"Thanks," Yumi nodded, grabbing her fans off of the ground. "Hiyah!" she screamed, throwing her right fan at the fairy girl. With an easy twitch of her wrist, one of her whips rose into the air, and the fan was knocked to the ground.

The four advanced on the girl slowly, creating a wall of weapons she didn't dare cross. She glared at each of them in turn, but her gaze settled uneasily on Aelita.

"Let's finish this," Yumi said, raising her other fan.

"I couldn't agree more," Odd sneered, locking the stranger in his sights, raising his paws.

"Stop!" Jeremy's voice screeched from above. The girl physically flinched at his voice, and then set her blazing glare on the Lyoko sky above. "Stop! Don't hurt her! She's Aelita's sister!"


	2. Trying to Leave the Past Behind

Three Years Later…

Yumi sighed impatiently, watching the clock at the front of the room slowly worm towards three o' clock. She couldn't wait to get out of class; everyone was heading over to the movie theater to watch the new horror flick. Her gaze wandered around the room slowly, finding Sissy across the way. After the group had finally shut down the supercomputer, amends had been made between the principal's daughter and their group. Herb and Nicolas were still a little bitter, but for the most part, things were peaceful in their day to day lives.

Yumi's gaze found the girl sitting next to her; her green hair fell around her like a waterfall, and as she lazily took notes, the sun dapple across it, making it look like it was constantly in movement. Yumi still found her new friend a little unique; Aelita had eventually found her place at Kadic; she had grown confident and sassy, even standing up to Sissy on several occasions before she'd been their friend. But her sister… things were different for her. She was _almost_ as smart as Jeremy, she was _almost_ as funny as Odd, she was _almost_ as athletic as Ulrich, but… Aelita's sister hadn't quite found out who she was yet.

That Last Day…

"Are you certain?" Aelita gasped, feeling slightly faint.

"Undoubtedly. I ran some checks and analyzed her genetic sequence code against your own, just as a precaution, trying to figure out her origins. Franz Hopper was both of your father's." At the name of her father's, the stranger sneered, and laughed bitterly.

"I...I don't remember a sister," Aelita stuttered, slowly stepping towards the green haired girl. The pixie stared at Aelita again curiously, tilting her head again.

"We never met," she said flatly, examining Aelita.

"Are you…sure?" Yumi asked quietly, appraising the long green hair. "She doesn't… look like her," Yumi said awkwardly. The girl's glared shifted angrily to Yumi, searing through her.

"If you are wondering why on earth my hair isn't pink, it's because I didn't have the liberty or pleasure of being the beloved, Anthea Hopper's daughter," she spat. Her glare turned back to Aelita, and her voice softened. "That was your job," she said emptily.

"Why…How…What happened?" Ulrich stumbled over his words, itching underneath his samurai's band.

"Like I'd tell you," she growled, her hostility shown by her suddenly slithering whips. Ulrich uneasily gripped one of the handles of his swords, eyeing her movement.

"Listen, lady," Jeremy said from above. "You're clearly human, and I will inform you that we are about to shut down Lyoko. So, if you don't want to fall into a endless and senseless sleep, I'd lose the aggressive properties." The girl glanced around rapidly, searching for the speaker. Finally, she looked bewildered at the pink haired girl.

"Who is that?" she questioned.

"That's Jeremy. He runs all the Lyoko virtualizations, and acts on our eyes on the ground whenever X.A.N.A launches an attack," Aelita said with a reassuring smile. At the mention of their longtime enemy, the stranger rushed to Aelita's side and defensively stood beside her, her eyes darting about suspiciously.

"There's an attack? Come, we must get you to the activated tower," she said, her whips moving around. Aelita gently placed her hand on her sister's shoulder, trying her best to calm her down.

"No, no, there's no attack. How about you just tell us about yourself," she said soothingly. She stroked one of her green pigtails calmly, and the stranger's eyes welled with virtual tears. She closed her eyes, and leaned into her hand, before suddenly stiffening and walking a few paces away.

"My name is Clarity, and yes, I am Aelita's biological sister," she began, glancing away into the distance. "After Anthea was kidnapped and Franz moved to the Hermitage with his daughter, Franz knew he was in danger, there on earth. However, he also knew that there was danger waiting for him and Aelita on Lyoko. He knew that X.A.N.A was growing more powerful, and at the time," she glanced at Aelita's hands with a raised eyebrow, "his daughter didn't have any way of protecting herself in an aggressive manor; all she had was here Creativity, and that wasn't fool proof against X.A.N.A's monsters. He also knew he himself didn't have any particular combative skills here on Lyoko, so dear old daddy found a way to protect the both of them," she sneered, shaking her head angrily.

"I was an in vitro fetus, developed in a Petri dish first, than in a tubule. He got a viable human zygote from the donation center easily enough, and he supplied his own chromosomes as the other half of my genetic code. Bet my hair comes from my mom, but who knows who that could be? He stole the egg. He chocked me full of every steroid possible, so I would grow at a unforeseen rate, and I was as old as Aelita, physically speaking, within months. He sent me to Lyoko as soon as I could walk, and began to then fill me up with bellicose coding. As I grew quickly in my physical form, so did my fighting technique and power. I was a living weapon to be used against X.A.N.A. That's why my attacks did so much damage to you all so easily; I'm built for destruction.

"When Hopper heard that the men searching for him were closing in, he sent me here to Lyoko a final time, to await you here. Said, "This is what you were created for." While he ran to get you, Aelita, X.A.N.A sent a Guardian for me. I tried to destroy it but… well, from the looks on your faces, you all know that attacks don't work on them. It took me prisoner, and hid at one of the far away peninsula's of land, far from any tower, so I wouldn't be found by chance. By the time Aelita and Hopper were here, I was already captured, and I couldn't protect either of you. You were left defenseless… Then I was released, and next thing I knew, some deity-like voice was speaking to me, and I thought another attack was going to be launched, so I fled to the tower."

"I'm quite good, but I don't think I am at the level of god-like proportions," Jeremy chuckled from above.

"He's sitting at the supercomputer right now, and he was the first to notice your presence here on Lyoko," Odd said, crouching on his heels. "He has this earpiece in, so we can always chit chat." Clarity nodded slowly.

"Franz never spoke to me while he was programming and I was here on Lyoko. He didn't care to tell me what he was doing to my body, or my virtual sequence. Jeremy's voice was the first I'd ever heard from the outside world to here on Lyoko."

"You were released from the Guardian because we defeated X.A.N.A," Ulrich said proudly, nodding.

"Yeah," Odd smirked. "Einstein's anti-X.A.N.A program worked like a charm! They just swam on by and destroyed all of his influence, his power , his monsters, even X.A.N.A himself."

Clarity blinked rapidly. "Really?" Everyone nodded, and Clarity frowned. "What am I suppose to do now?" she whispered.

"Hey, don't worry," Aelita said, offering another warm smile. "Earth is amazing, your sure to enjoy life outside of the supercomputer." Clarity's green eyebrows furrowed with worry. "Have you…do you not know about life on earth?"

Clarity took a few steps away, gazing hopelessly out at the Digital Sea. "I was created on earth, but I never left the lab. My Petri dish, my tubule, everything, was kept in the room where the supercomputer is operated from. Hopper never let me leave the factory. He never even let me go any closer to the surface than that room. I don't know anything about earth."

Aelita shook her head in disbelief. "I doubt that Daddy could ever do that!" Clarity sneered and flipped her hair frustratedly.

"Your "daddy" was no parent to me," Clarity snickered, bitterness swelling. "He was nothing more than a sperm donor and a slave driver to me."

"Take that back!" Aelita shouted, an Energy Field forming in her palms. Clarity glanced at her sister, a touch of surprise on her face.

"Why?" she asked, turning to face Aelita completely. "It's true. The only reason I am alive, the only reason I even exist, was to protect you. He never showed me love, or affection. He never read me a bed time story or hugged me tight. He concocted me in a plate, dumped enough steroids to kill a full grown man without observation on me, and decided to pull me out of the water filled tube when he thought I looked old enough to walk. When he found out I couldn't, that I had to learn like any other human, he built me a small railing so I could hoist myself up and teach myself. He never helped me. And when I could finally do that on my own, he shoved me in a scanner, programmed my virtual form, and turned a toddler into a executioner. And whenever he would leave the lab, and he would run home to you using the elevator, he would tell me to sit and stay, like a dog. I didn't have a bed. I didn't have toys, or new clothes, or a brush for my hair, Aelita. He would come here early in the morning, feed me the leftovers from your dinner the night prior, then shove more growth hormones in my veins before pushing me into the scanner and creating more destructive coding for my life here in the computer. He wanted me to be ready to defend you at any moment, and to be at my best performance here on Lyoko. In about six months, I went from blastocyst to thirteen year old girl. You can imagine how painful it felt at night when my bones would suddenly extend. I was about four month old in real time when my period came too. You know what he did for me? He gave me a rag, told me to clean up after myself. He may have been an amazing father to you, Aelita, but to me, he was nothing of the sort." A pregnant silence followed, and Aelita stared at her sister with a mixture of confusion and malice.

This perfect stranger, this sibling she had always wanted and never knew she'd had, had tarnished her recently deceased father without any sort of conscious. They stared at each other, breathing in unison, Clarity patiently waiting, and Aelita trying to sort out her emotions. After a moment, Clarity sighed, and she looked quite defeated.

"To you, Aelita, he must have been the perfect father, of that I have no doubts. Just don't expect me to echo your praise about him." Clarity turned around, and began walking away.

"Where are you going?" Odd called.

"My place is here, on Lyoko. I've never known any different. I choose to die with it." She continued walking away, and as she did so, Aelita's rage was quickly replaced with panic. Yes, her words were awful and hurtful and uncalled for, and, Aelita was certain, untrue, but she was her sister. She was the only family she had left. Aelita ran after her younger sister, and grabbed her arm lightly.

"You know, when I was first rematerialized, I didn't know anything about earth either. But I learned, and you will too. Come back with us, you'll find that there's so much more to fighting X.A.N.A," she said with a hopeful smile. Clarity snorted in disbelief.

"It's true," Ulrich chuckled. "Trust me when I say I know what it feels like when you think you are just a Lyoko Warrior and that's all, but there is a whole world of possibility for you out there. Why not come and see?" Clarity looked at the group, looked at the forest sector around her, and finally looked at her older sister, her eyes filled with distrust and confusion. Although Aelita didn't want to believe it about her gentle father, it was clear that this young girl had never seen kindness or love. Aelita wrapped her in a hug, and stroked her long hair maternally; she realized that her sister only came up to her chin.

"Come back with us. We can show you how life is supposed to be lived." Clarity resisted for a few more moments, but after wanting love for so long and never receiving it, the hug was irresistible.

"Okay," she whispered.

Back In Class…

Clarity adjusted quickly to earth, just like her sister. She marveled at the solid ground beneath her and the warmth of the sun. She wore a huge, oversized brown T shirt that was constantly slipping off one of her shoulders, revealing her bra straps, much to the teacher's chastising and disapproval. She also wore orange short shorts, much like her fairy-esk petal skirt on Lyoko. She had brown, simple sneakers, and a relaxed attitude to match her lax fashion. However, her hair was still a bright green, and she kept it half up in her pig tails, and half down, flowing down her back. The color of her hair was the loudest thing about her; Clarity enjoyed listening to others more than talking.

The bell chimed, and the uproar of relief that followed startled Yumi from her reminiscence. She quickly stuffed her books into her bag, and the two of them walked out of the class together. The rest of the gang waited for them by the vending machines, laughing at one of Odd's jokes. Now, all of them were juniors in high school, except for Yumi, who was a year older. Ulrich had finally out grown her, and Odd and Jeremy had even managed to put some muscle on their bones. Time had changed things.

"Hey guys," Sissy called, approaching with a smile. "What are all you guys doing?"

"We're about to head out to some lame movie that Odd's been bugging us to see, it's going to totally blow," Ulrich said, leaning against the cinder block wall.

"No, it won't!" Odd shouted defensively. "Octopus Zombie Raid has gotten mad reviews Ulrich! You're going to love it!"

"That's too bad," Sissy sighed with a smile. "Herb and Nicolas wanted to go watch some T.V in the rec room, and I was hoping you would come along."

"Sorry, Sissy, maybe next time," Yumi said, shrugging with a friendly smile.

"No problem, see you guys tomorrow!" Sissy called as she headed to catch up with the other boys.

"We had better start walking if we want to catch that movie," Jeremy said, pushing his glasses further up his nose. They all set out at a easy pace, chatting and laughing about the day's events. Clarity, or Clarity Dupont, as she was known on school record, walked quietly beside Aelita. Aelita, noticing her sister, threw her arm around her shorter siblings shoulder, giving her a warm had healed their relationship's wounds. Hugs were a favorite thing ofClarity's; she loved the physical connection, and the attention. Although some of the kids around school thought it was weird that "Jeremy's cousin" was always hugging everyone, the inner group of them knew why. Even though she was about seventeen physically, she wasn't all that old mentally; she was several years behind, and on top of that, up until three years ago, she had never known human affection. Everyone within their immediate group of friends, and even other students, like William or Herb, didn't mind giving her a hug at all; Jeremy and the other's didn't mind because they knew how she craved companionship, and the other's because they were all enticed by her effortless beauty.

Clarity didn't care about appearances or looks. Honestly, she was about thirteen years old mentally. She didn't wear tight clothing or makeup, like the majority of the girls her age. She wore her oversized brown T shirt because it was comfy, and that was all the thought she really put into it. However, many of the eligible boys around campus were starting to notice Belpois' quiet, mellow, down to earth cousin.

As Aelita released her sister from her hug, Odd gave her one of his own, squeezing her as tightly as possible. Clarity hugged him back, trying her hardest to squeeze him just as tightly, but she was also the smallest of the group, so it wasn't very effective. Clarity snuggled into Odd's chest, smiling happily. Aelita and Clarity had talked on many occasions about her feelings for Odd, but she didn't feel like telling him was important, and she had made Aelita swear to secrecy. Odd, himself, found Clarity gorgeous, and her hair was almost as cool as his, but he felt a little strange thinking such things about Aelita's baby sister, and besides, there were plenty of girls around at Kadic and the surrounding area.


	3. Midnight Council

The movie was just as predictable as any other movie Odd had ever dragged the others too. Ulrich and Yumi spent the majority of the film with their eyes closed and their lips locked, kissing rather noisily. Next to them sat Jeremy and Aelita, who both held hands and ate popcorn steadily during the movie's duration. Clarity sat next to her sister, and spent half of the movie curled up on Aelita's lap, and the other half curled up on Odd's, who sat on her other side. Odd stroked her hair absentmindedly as he watched the pretty girls scream breathlessly on the large screen, his fingers weaving through her green locks gently. Aelita watched the two of them in her peripheral. Her sister was so sweet and innocent, and it wasn't really a secret that Odd had a way with the ladies. Clarity knew it as well, but she didn't really connect the dots that he could end up hurting her too.

As the six of them sprawled out of the theater and onto the lamp lit sidewalk, their obnoxious laughter filled the air. They all walked back to Kadic cheerily, mocking the movie and one another. Ulrich and Yumi eventually parted ways with the others as Ulrich walked Yumi home. As the other's entered campus, they all quieted their voices, careful to not give Jim a reason to give them detention. Clarity's head suddenly turned to the right as they approached the dorms.

"Truffle," she called quietly. With a soft mewl, a large, black cat with emerald eyes launched from the bushes, landing perfectly into the little woman's arms. Clarity buried her head lovingly into the onyx fur as they all entered the dorms. The boys said their farewells at the base of the stairs before heading to their own rooms. Aelita and Clarity walked up the stairs slowly together, talking about the day, the movie, their friends, and fawning over Clarity's pet. When Clarity was still new to earth, she had met a stray black kitten in the park, and immediately their bond was formed. Although Jeremy firmly told her pets weren't allowed on campus, Clarity pointed out stubbornly that Odd had Kiwi, and, assuming that all humans named their pets after food, named the little girl Truffle. Unlike Kiwi, she wasn't holed up in a drawer; if there was an inspection, she elegantly leapt atop the tall dresser and hunkered down out of sight until the strangers were gone.

Aelita opened their bedroom door and flicked on the dim lamp as Truffle jumped to the ground, curling up on Clarity's pillow. As the girl's changed into their pajamas, Aelita into her pink night gown with an "A" sewn into it and Clarity into a spare brown T shirt and cloth orange shorts, Truffle groomed herself silently. Clarity pulled the extra cloth of her brown night shirt over her knees, which were tucked to her chest, turning her into a brown little egg with a green head. Aelita sprawled out under her covers, staring at the ceiling, Mr. Puck under her arm.

"What's wrong with Jeremy?" Clarity asked quietly, her chin resting on her covered knees. Aelita sighed; her little sister didn't say much, but nothing went over her head.

"I don't know, he won't tell me. I've been asking him for weeks, and whenever I bring it up, he just says he isn't sleeping well," Aelita sighed. Clarity nodded her head thoughtfully, and waited. "I'm getting pretty worried. He always seems unfocused in class, but I don't know how to help him."

"Just be there for him," Clarity said, tugging on some of her green hair. "Even if he won't tell you what's wrong, just you being around him will help."

"I know you're right, but I wish he would just tell me what's the matter," Aelita sighed, closing her eyes in frustration.

"Maybe he's just as confused as you are," Clarity offered, stroking her cat, which had clamored onto her lap, forcing her to release her brown tent and to sit criss-cross. Aelita sighed heavily again, shaking her head, unsure of what to do. "Why don't you go see him? Maybe ask him when you two are alone."

"What, like right now? Did that terrible movie fry your brain? Girls aren't allowed on the boy's floor after eight, you know that," Aelita scoffed, looking at her sister across the room.

"So what?" she shrugged, getting up at Truffle's loud yowls of request. Clarity crossed the room and opened the window. With a final thankful nuzzle, Truffle darted out the window and onto the leaning branch of a nearby tree. "If he needs you as badly as you make it out to be, then some detention shouldn't deter you." She resettled herself onto her mattress, leaving the window slightly cracked. Silence followed as Aelita mulled over her sister's words. Finally, she rose from her sheets, leaving Mr. Puck behind by the pillow.

"I will be back soon," Aelita reassured her sister as she opened the door stealthily. "Don't wait up for me." Clarity nodded with a smile, and waved her fingers as her sister's pink hair disappeared behind to closed door. Finding herself alone, but too lazy to get up to shut off the lamp, she laid down on her bed, allowing her mind to wander.

"Honestly, Odd, that's the last time we let you decide what we should do with our Friday night. I don't know why I expected this night to go any better than last Friday, with you picking all the time," Jeremy sighed, collapsing into his computer chair.

"Lighten up, Einstein, it wasn't nearly as bad as you are trying to make it sound. The special effects were decent, I mean, have you ever seen more realistic fake blood?" Odd grinned, closing the door behind them. He plopped down on the blue comforter of Jeremy's bed, running a hand up through his vertical hair. "Besides, I wasn't the only one who enjoyed it."

"Believe me when I say that Clarity was staring at the screen intently with disbelief and amusement, not awe," Jeremy smiled, rubbing his eyes behind his glasses.

"Not true!" Odd protested. "She genuinely liked the scene where the octopus grabbed that one girl's ankle and pulled her into the sewer!"

"She only pretends to like your tasteless junk Odd because she likes you," Jeremy sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"No way, Einstein, she has exquisite taste in entertainment, just like yours truly, and it just so happens that we get along well because of it." Jeremy scoffed and shook his head, and Odd felt his temper rise a little bit. "What? You think she didn't like it?"

"Of course she didn't! Nobody does!" Jeremy laughed.

"You're wrong, Jeremy, I'm certain of it! In fact, I'm going to ask her right now, just so I can rub it in your face that even you make mistakes!"

"Odd, it's too late, you're not allowed on the upper floor right now," Jeremy called as Della Robbia headed for the door.

"So?" Odd called back without turning.

"Odd." The serious tone in Jeremy's voice caused him to turn. Jeremy was sitting with both his ankle crossed over his leg and his arms crossed across his chest. All humor was out of his eyes as he reassessed his friend. "You know that she has feelings for you, and you know how fragile she is. She never got love as a kid, and she is really quite young still. Between being told that her only purpose was to fight X.A.N.A and a father that couldn't have cared less for her, she is really vulnerable and naïve. If you are going to treat her like all the other girls in our grade, why not just give it a rest and cut her some slack. She has had it rough enough as it is." Odd stared at Jeremy for a moment, then at the floor, before finally stepping into the hallway.

As Odd turned to head for the staircase, he was surprised to see Aelita walking towards him. "Aelita? What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to Jeremy, something's bothering me. Where are you going? Your room is the other way," she whispered back.

"I was on my way to see Clarity. Jeremy thinks that she was lying when she said she liked the movie, and I am on a mission to prove him wrong." A accusing silence followed. "What?" he snapped, irritated.

"You better stop playing with her, Odd. She deserves better than that, and she doesn't suspect-"

"Give it a break, will you?" Odd hissed quietly, his temper rising again. "I already got this lecture from Jeremy tonight, Ulrich yesterday, and Yumi a few weeks beforehand. I'm not playing with her, I'm just going to make sure she liked the movie." With that, he stalked away, heatedly. Sure, he had a reputation with the girls on campus, but it wasn't like he was out to hurt anyone!

Aelita watched him walk away for a few moments, wondering if she should stop him and tell him to leave her alone, but she decided against it; she had enough issues with her own boyfriend as it was. With a quiet, steadying breath, Aelita grabbed the door knob, and let herself into Belpois' room.


	4. Programmer's Withdrawals (Lemon)

When Jeremy heard the door to his room creak open again, he thought Odd had returned with a witty comeback. With a sigh, he lifted his head from his palms, where he had rested his arms on the desk, and spun around. When he saw Aelita, he blinked in surprise. She wasn't one to break the rules!

"What are you doing here?" he whispered, confused and anxious; getting caught together after hours was a lot more severe when you were a junior than a eighth grader.

"I wanted to see you," she smiled warmly, perking herself on the bed corner closest to Jeremy.

"You just saw me ten minutes ago," he chuckled, shaking his head. "Are you trying to get expelled?" Aelita shook her head, her smile replaced with a somberness that was rarely present now-a-days.

"I wanted to talk to you alone," she said. Jeremy looked away uncomfortably, and Aelita lightly placed her hand on his knee. "What's going on with you Jeremy?"

"Nothing," he hastily said, refusing to look at her.

"Come on, Jeremy, I know you better than that. Tell me what's been bothering you." Silence followed, and with a inward sigh of frustration, Aelita leaned back, replacing her hand in her lap. "You haven't studied as much usually, and I keep catching you staring out the window during Ms. Hertz's lectures. You play with your food more than you eat it, and your fuse has shortened with Odd lately. I know you don't really feel ready to talk to me about it, but I'm worried." Aelita stared at Jeremy's slender hands, willing him to look at her. Over the three years, he'd grown into quite a handsome young man. He still had a very slim form, but his jaw had hardened, his voice was slightly deeper, and he was taller than Aelita by a couple inches now. Although he didn't have any truly defined muscles, buried underneath his red sleeves, he had small, toned biceps that she loved seeing on the few, brief occasions that she got too. In the dim light, his glasses glinted softly.

"I miss Lyoko," Jeremy finally sighed, running his hands through his blonde locks.

"You miss Lyoko," Aelita repeated flatly; of all the things she had expected… this hadn't been it.

"I miss our old lives. The unsung heroes, the excitement! I miss having to stay up all night, programming, improving the Skidbladnir or constructing the Overbike."

"You do?" Aelita laughed, shaking her head. "But you were the one who was most excited to lead a normal, teenaged life."

"I know, I know," he huffed impatiently. "But I didn't understand what I had when I had it! This mundane existence, of basic chemical equations and that ridiculously effortless Mellin inversion theorem, is slowly destroying my neurons! "Aelita smiled as Jeremy ranted at the ceiling; she found that frustrated furrow in his brow so sweet. "I can't stand it anymore, I crave the adventures we had."

With a roll of her eyes, Aelita strolled over to Jeremy and straddled his lap, thinking nothing of it, and placed a loud kiss on his forehead. "You are being so dramatic," she sighed, nuzzling her cheek to his forehead with her eyes closed. Jeremy froze beneath her and swallowed hard. Her night gown had ridden up her legs showing the entirety of her thin, smooth thighs. Her small, firm breasts were but a breath's span from his face, and Jeremy could feel his arousal building.

"Hey!" Aelita squeaked as he stood up rapidly, throwing her off of him. She tumbled onto his bed, and had to yank down her gown to prevent it from flying up and over her face. Jeremy turned quickly and readjusted his khaki pants hastily to hide his growing member.

"Are you alright, Jeremy?" Aelita asked from where she was on the bed.

"Uh, yeah, no problem. These clothes are just super uncomfortable, I didn't have time to change since Odd followed me here."

"Would you like me to leave so you can change?" Aelita asked, quickly rising to her feet.

"No, no, you're fine! I enjoy seeing you," Jeremy stuttered, pushing her shoulders gently so she would sit down again. Jeremy retook his spot on the computer chair, sitting carefully so he wouldn't raise his zipper with his crotch.

"There's plenty of adventure to be had here on earth," Aelita said. "There's hiking and camping and sky diving and surfing, and a whole slew of things to try."

"Yeah right," Jeremy scoffed, returning his angry glare to the ceiling. "Remember how I tried rock climbing in eighth grade? Got the wind knocked out of me when I fell _and_ the whole school laughing at me for the rest of the week." With an angry sigh, he shut his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nose; nothing was like the thrill he got when he was fighting X.A.N.A.

Aelita watched his chest rise and fall heatedly, smiling at his seriousness and finding his frustration endearing. Aelita wasn't sure why, but no matter what Jeremy did, she found it perfect. Her eyes skimmed over his form, taking the opportunity to admire him without being caught. She stared at his Adam's apple, bobbing slightly whenever he would release a steadying sigh. Aelita felt a sudden desire for him, setting a small flame of heat in the pit of her stomach. She had felt a small interest in his physical form before, sure, but only around the others, and never when they were alone. She found the sudden solidarity both exciting and intimidating.

"I'm sure that you can find some adventure that you can handle," Aelita said, slowly inching forward.

"Doubt it," he grunted, not shifting. Aelita knelt silently in front of him, just in between his legs. She felt her hands grow moist with nerves, and she wiped them hastily on her night gown.

"You never know until you try," she muttered, her breath coming in short and fast pants.

"Thanks, but I would rather not- Aelita what are you doing!" Aelita feel back onto her rear, her hand pulling away from the waist band of his pants. Jeremy fell clumsily onto the floor before scrambling to his feet. Aelita clamored to her own feet, dusting off her butt and muttering an apology.

"I'd better go, someone probably heard you scream," she said dejectedly, making her way to the door.

"Wait," Jeremy called, grabbing her elbow. He led her to the bed, and they sat next to one another, an unusual amount of space in between them. "I'm sorry, you just surprised me is all," he said, trying to catch her gaze.

"It's fine," Aelita said, her voice cracking with rejection. Countless times, she had imagined them being together..in this way, but never had she imagined or feared that he would deny her.

"No, it isn't, don't say it is, I just wasn't prepared, I had thought that you were on the bed and then suddenly you weren't and…" he took a calming sigh, interrupting his unending sentence. "I want you that way too, angel, I just was taken by surprise, that's all." She smiled at her secret nickname, an echo to her wings she had on Lyoko. "We can try again." Aelita shook her head, sore from his primary reaction. "Come on," he whined, scooting closer and playing with her hair.

"No," she pouted, batting his hand away.

"Come onnnn, angel," he said, dragging the word out. He began kissing her sloppily all over her face. She sputtered protests, but her angry huffs quickly turned into giggles. Slowly, Jeremy pushed her back so he was on top of her, his kisses tickling her neck and nose.

"Jeremy, stop," she giggled, trying to act seriously. Jeremy planted his lips squarely on hers, muffling her words. Steadily, the kiss turned from playful to passionate, their hands slowly changing from prodding and tickling to caressing and groping. Aelita's mind swam with excitement as they broke the kiss to breathe. She pushed him off of her, and dragged him to the edge of the bed, where she knelt once more before him. As she trailed hot kisses down his body, Jeremy took off his glasses and tossed them to his desk top. She clumsily undid the button holding his penis in, and quickly extracted it from his white and blue stripped boxers. Jeremy shuddered as his hands fisted in his comforters; he'd try touching himself once before, but found it thoroughly dissatisfying. This…this was heaven. Her warm hand began to slowly stroke his member and he moaned desperately in response.

"My God," he breathed, tearing off his red sweater. Aelita stared at his throbbing cock in her hand, curious and intimidated at the same time. It didn't look anything like it was pictured in the biology textbooks to her. Glancing up at him, she saw the lustful haze in his eyes, and felt emboldened. Quickly she took the head of his penis into her wet mouth.

"Ah!" Jeremy's hips bucked at the sudden stimulation, his teeth sinking into his lip as one of his hands went to the back of Aelita's head. She pumped quickly, her head bobbing up and down, her hands rubbing the length she couldn't take in. As her head and hands squeezed him in unison, Jeremy felt himself quickly losing control. He began tearing at his pants and boxers, hating the heat it kept in. Aelita removed her mouth from his member, helped toss the unnecessary clothes across the room, before taking him in her mouth again.

She could tell how quickly he was reaching his orgasm by the time in between his moans. As they became closer together, her head moved slower, teasing him and drawing out the buildup. Jeremy tried to push her down faster, but she would stop moving altogether as soon as she felt his palms. With a groan, Jeremy lifted his girlfriend off of him. Surprised , Aelita quickly scrambled to her feet as Jeremy hauled her up. Tearing down at pink leggings she always wore under her dress, he took his turn in front of her on the ground. After taking a moment to admire her sex, he shoved his mouth against her vagina, working his tongue around her. With a shriek, she leaned forward, placing her hands on the bed behind him, trying to get some support.

He'd studied the biology books a thousand times, memorized the labeled diagrams of the female reproductive system, inside and out. Knowingly, he brought his tongue up ever so slightly, finding her clit amongst the pink, curly hair. His tongue shoved roughly against it, and Aelita's legs shook as she cried out.

"What are you doing?" she whimpered, the pleasure rocking her core. Licking his lips and the extra saliva, Jeremy slipped one of his long, thin fingers slowly into her slit. As she bit her lip to quiet her moans, Jeremy snickered darkly.

"Giving you a taste of your own medicine," he cooed. His finger began to rhythmically wiggle inside her in time with his wet tongue's laps, stimulating her expertly. Aelita felt a small ball of warmth building near his mouth, and she began to pant his name in warning. Never had he heard his name sound so sweet. It steeled him to work faster, and as his finger and tongue worked in time, so did her sharp breaths. Just as she was about to cum, Jeremy stopped and threw her onto the bed.

"Dammit," Aelita said, feeling her orgasm faded rapidly. Jeremy began to remove the rest of her clothes; her dress, her bra, her panties and leggings that were around her ankles. Naked, they clung to each other, shoving their tongue's frantically into each other's mouths. Jeremy turned his attention to her breasts as he climbed on top of her, his mouth biting and suckling one peaked nipple and his hand tugged and pinched the other. Aelita carefully raised her legs and rub his length with her knee.

Finally, Jeremy looked questioningly into Aelita's eyes, worried about going too far. Aelita kissed him gently between the eyes and nodded nervously. His aim was lacking, and his tip prodded around her thighs tentatively. Finally, Jeremy felt himself poke at something wetter than just sweat.

"Ae—Aelita, I, I think I found it," he stuttered nervously, gulping nervously. With a final reassuring kiss, she told him to go ahead. Aelita felt as his long, thin dick slid inside of her. She felt her cries of pain get swallowed as her throat closed from shock. Jeremy's eyes squeezed shut as he felt his foreskin shift inside her tight, virgin canal. As her virginity tore, Jeremy stroked her hair lovingly, whispering encouragement in the dim light. He felt her grow damper around him as her virgin blood and natural lubricant began to surround him. Finally, as the pain subsided, Aelita began grinding her hips against her, giving him the green light to continue.

Their love was sweet and slow, a tangled waltz, their moaned names the music and their rocking hips the steps. They whispered each other's names to each other, each time sweeter than the previous, like their own hidden golden treasure, just for the two of them to cherish. They felt their orgasms approaching rhythmically, and Jeremy stopped moving suddenly.

"Aelita, I love you," he whispered, his lusty haze not tarnishing the sincerity.

"I love you too, Jeremy," she sighed, kissing his nose. They stared at each other as they began moving again. As their pleasure built again, and they moaned the other's name, they watched each other's face and savored how their breath changed, how their pupils dilated, how their mouth opened a little further with each thrust.

As they both tumbled over into their nirvana, they felt the electricity shoot through their bodies, sending every nerve on edge. Their bodies locked at every joint as Jeremy buried himself a little deeper and a little faster into her cunny, Aelita's eyes watering with ecstasy. Her legs began to kick uncontrollably as her climax wiped her mind. She felt lost in the essence of her lover; his scent, his touch, his taste.

As their afterglows settled in, and Jeremy gently lowered himself next to Aelita, she felt a sudden exhaustion take over. As they curled up next to each other, face to face, on Jeremy's tiny bed, Jeremy felt a level of happiness never before achieved; not when he first met Aelita, not when they shared their first kiss, not even when they finally deleted X.A.N.A. As Aelita fell asleep instantly, Jeremy watched her face and the small smile that was there. As he watched the her breath slowly, he found himself thinking that he wouldn't mind watching her fall asleep for every night in his life to come.


	5. Interview with the Honest

**While this is not a lemon chapter, there will be a brief, suggestive theme of masturbation in the intro to this chapter. Should the idea of that bother you, skip down to the section where Odd enters Clarity's room. This story is rated M, guys, so if the mild language and mild themes bother you, perhaps reading stories rated T is more your speed. Enjoy!**

When Aelita finally left, Clarity sighed in relief and closed her eyes as she lay in her bed. She was glad that her sister had left to talk with Jeremy; their relationship was based on communication more than anything. Analytics and estimation could only get you so far; eventually, discussing with someone what is bothering them is only way to go. Alone, Clarity let her mind wander lazily, her green hair splayed out beneath her. She thought of the homework she would have to do the next morning for literature, the laundry she had to wash at some point. She thought about how she had to change Truffle's litter box, and how Yumi had asked for her help in history. If she was still going to tutor her, it would have to be the next day. She also hadn't gone for a jog that morning; she would have to double her laps tomorrow to compensate. As she continued to worry more and more about her responsibilities, she rolled onto her back and groaned. She hated this world's amount of responsibility. Taking a calming breath, she turned her attention to something that frustrated her far less as she flipped onto her back.

During the movie, he'd stroked her hair the entire time she had been curled up in his arms. She could feel his large palms stroking her green stray away hairs back into place, and she could hear his heart beating in his chest. She loved the way he smelled; he smelled of the crisp, woodland air, with a mixture of dog. There was always at least a bit of Kiwi's fur on his pants. With a smile, she thought of how he always had to brush off his pup's fur when he left his room. She thought of how skilled he was on a skateboard, and of all the grinds and kick flips he had shown her. She thought of how he could eat a whole mountain of food, and his loud laugh, and his friendly smile.

As she daydreamed about Odd and all the little quirks that made him special to her, she felt a strange feeling crawl over her; both familiar and foreign at once. A small fire was lit in the pit of her stomach, while she also felt a growing wetness develop between her legs. Humming as her thoughts turned slightly more lewd, she began inching off her orange shorts, interested in exploring herself further. She was rarely ever alone, and in the few moments she was, she could hardly control herself. Her mind was young, still that of roughly a fourteen year old girl, but her body, her older, womanly body, had cravings she was against sating. She knew what it yearned for; arousal wasn't very complicated once you became familiar with it. But she also was slightly disgusted with the thoughts and actions her mind and body would commit in these heated moments.

She slipped her fingertips between her legs, massaging the gentle, feminine folds there, feeling her body heat up in reaction. She threw her orange shorts onto the floor, and began to press with a little more intent. As her hand explored her sex, she felt her young mind recoil in disgust at what was happening. She tried to stop herself, but whenever her fingers stopped moving, her body whined and complained at the lack of stimulation.

Her finger suddenly touched something it hadn't discovered before. Rather high above her vaginal opening, there was something rather sensitive. With a curious poke, she nudged it again, and felt herself shiver at the intensity of her body's reaction. With a defeated, inward sigh, her younger half shrugged, and allowed her adult doppelganger take over. Her hand began to rub and flick lightly at her new discovery, interested at the tingle it sent through her.

Just as she let out her first, quiet moan, a light tapping at the door interrupted her. With an angry sigh, Clarity pulled her large brown shirt over her erogenous area, and sat up in her bed.

"Come in," she said quietly, itching her head. When Odd Della Robbia opened the door and slipped in, the first thing he noticed was the scent of the room. He had smelled it many times before, with other women, and nearly choked at the smell of Clarity's arousal. As she stared at him, with her eyes innocent and clear, one thing was obvious; this part of her life, this adult part, was new to her, and she couldn't smell the sex that perfumed the air. He sat heavily on Aelita's bed across the way, and duly noted her orange shorts lying out in the open, unconcealed. Yup, this part of growing up was _very_ new to her.

"Did you like the movie we watched tonight?" Odd asked, giving no context to his question.

"Yes, I did," Clarity answered, not bothering to ask why he was there.

"Jeremy thinks you're lying," Odd huffed, his shoulders sinking.

"Jeremy also thinks he is always right," Clarity said honestly. Odd shot the little girl a smile; she was a woman of few words, but every single one of them was brutally honest.

"He said you only tolerate the movies and things I enjoy because you…you know, like me," Odd stumbled over his words, not quite sure why he was saying them. Everyone in their group, including Odd himself, knew that Clarity had a crush on Odd, and had felt that way since her first week here on earth. But it was also unspoken, like a hidden contract had been signed by all six of them to never mention it. It was the sad truth; Clarity loved Odd, Odd loved all the other girls, and all the other boys loved Clarity. The last part Clarity was oblivious too; she never noticed how all the boys stared at her, she only noticed when Odd wasn't.

"Yeah, that's partially true," Clarity shrugged, blunt as always. "The first five minutes I watch because you want me too. The rest of the two hours, I watch because I paid for an overpriced movie ticket." A small giggle caused her to smile, and Odd couldn't help but grin back.

"Your room looks almost as bad as Ulrich and mines," Odd laughed, glancing around.

"Hardly," Clarity scoffed, rising from her bed. "We just were tired of wearing day clothes. Getting in pajamas at the end of the day is almost as good as seconds on desert." Odd chuckled at the truth in her sentence, but was cut off by an unexpected sight. Clarity began bouncing around the room, quickly bending to snatch her orange shorts, Aelita's dress, and various other articles of clothing off of the floor. As she bent over, her innocent mind not really processing her audience and setting, Odd could see the curvature of her round ass.

Aelita had grown tall as she aged, like the rest of the group, but unlike Yumi, she was tall and slender in form. Clarity didn't grow very much, whether because the sudden lack of steroids caused her body to relapse and suddenly freeze in growth, or just because she was genetically meant to be short. However, unlike her older sister, what she lacked in height, she made up for in curves. It was hard to tell, with all the baggy, loose clothing she wore, but she had curves to match even Sissy's. And Odd had noticed, along with many of the boys on campus that her baggy, modest clothing, only made him wonder all the more what she was hiding.

As she quickly stood straight again, cutting the show off prematurely, Odd felt disappointed and a little frustrated. Clarity's long, brown shirt hanged loosely on her. "Why don't you ever wear girly clothes?" Odd asked, a little bruised from not getting to stared at her bottom longer.

Clarity dumped all the clothing she had collected into a corner and turned around, tilting her head. "Because they aren't as comfy," she said plainly. She plopped down heavily on her bed again, bouncing on the mattress. Odd stared at her, trying to puzzle through his feelings for her, not truly understanding. Sure, he liked her, and yeah, he found her attractive, but… the dynamic of the Lyoko Warriors was perfect as it was; he didn't want to do anything to upset that. Odd also had never feared anyone as much as he did Aelita whenever she made passive aggressive statements towards him about her sister. It was clear that Aelita didn't approve of the possible pairing.

"What are you thinking about?" Clarity asked as she crossed her legs on her bed again, watching his thoughtful face.

"Ah, you know, nothing in particular," Odd brushed off her question. She nodded and continued to watch him quietly, not one to pry. After a few moments of them peering at each other, Odd sighed. "Clarity, why do you like me?" The young girl tilted her head, confused by the sudden change in subject. When she didn't answer, Odd continued. "I don't understand what in the entire world, both real and digital, made you like me."

Clarity looked at the ceiling, the carpet, the moon outside the window, her brow furrowed in thought. The silence stretched, and Odd began to wonder if she was actually going to answer him, when she turned back to him. "Honestly, I don't know what made me start having feelings for you." Odd felt himself deflate, and began picking at a loose, purple thread on his jeans to avoid her eye contact. "But if you would like, I can tell you why you've kept my interest after all this time." Odd glanced at her, and after a sketchy moment of hesitation, gave her a slight nod. She turned her attention back out the window, to the glowing moon, as she tucked a stray strand of green hair behind her ear. "I don't know what first caught my attention; maybe it was a little mix of everything. Your love for Kiwi and the amount of kindness you show him, unlike anything you show to anyone else. The absurd amount of food you eat, and the way your loud laugh can be heard from down the hallway. The way you are quick to defend others and your protectiveness over the others. You are so willing to trust, and so willing to forgive." Odd tilted his head as he looked at the young woman, admiring how to moonlight splayed across her round cheek. "The vibrancy with which you live life; even the way you dress is unique, like you want to live every day like your last. Your passion for skateboarding, and your talent for getting in trouble with Ms. Hertz. Even how bad your feet stink after gym class makes me fonder of you," Clarity laughed, shaking her head. She turned to him, and was a little startled with what she saw. "Why are you looking at me that way?"

Odd stared at her, and shook his head with wonder. "Why haven't I given you a chance?" he muttered to himself, before turning to Clarity and asking, "Would you like to go out on a date with me tomorrow?" Clarity tilted her head sweetly.

"No."

"No?" Odd repeated, thoroughly shocked. "Why not?" he sputtered, feeling like he had just gotten a slap to the face.

"Because you change your girlfriends more often than you change your underwear." Odd laughed and his tension eased away.

"Oh yeah?" he chuckled, smiling at her. "And who told you that?"  
"Aelita and Ulrich," Clarity grinned, her smile growing so wide that she closed her eyes youthfully.

"Well, what if I told you I was willing to commit to a relationship lasting more than a couple days?"

"Then I would say that the only thing you are really capable of committing to is chocolate chip cookies." Odd snorted at this, causing Clarity to laugh a little harder.

"Come on, just give me the chance to give you a chance," Odd said, unusually serious. "We can just go on one date, just one! If you don't like it, or you don't feel like I can handle being a one-lady guy, than that will be the end of it." Clarity appraised him silently, her mind mulling it over.

"Alright, but if you want to go out with me tomorrow, you have to do one thing first," she chirped, her mind concocting a plan.

"Anything," Odd sighed, relief washing over him.

"Spend the night with me tonight." Odd felt his relief turn icy cold, and he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. As his mouth opened and closed, wordlessly, like a goldfish, Clarity watched him carefully, searching for any sign that she couldn't trust him. This was his first test.

Odd finally nodded his head robotically. Clarity asked him to turn off the light, and just before he flipped the switch on the lamp, Clarity rolled over on her bed, and sneakily hiked up the hem of her brown nightshirt, revealing once again the beginning curve of her ass. Odd glanced at it, gulped desperately, and flicked off the lamp. After the room was thrown into darkness, he stumbled across the room and lowered himself gently onto the bed beside her, keeping several inches between them. Clarity immediately shimmied closer to him, tucking her body in against his. With the lengths of their bodies touching, Clarity waited with bated breath. She had heard stories, from countless sources, that Odd Della Robbia was nothing but a skirt chaser. This was the perfect opportunity for him to steal her heart, crush it, and run away. She waited for his hand to slip under her shirt, for his fingers to become a little too familiar, some sort of signal that she was just another one of his many conquests.

But it never came. As Clarity waited and waited, she felt her hope beginning to grow; if all he wanted was to sleep with her, then this was the perfect opportunity, and he wasn't taking it. As the seconds rolled by into minutes, Clarity felt her heart begin to race even faster. He wasn't just going to take advantage of her star struck infatuation, as she had been warned by others that he would. He genuinely wanted to be with her, and he respected her enough to not push his limits. As the duo fell into a uneasy sleep, Clarity glowing because she had found out he loved her more than for her body, and Odd terrified at being caught in a girl's room, Ulrich stumbled into his room with a yawn, and was very confused to see that the only person sleeping in Odd's bed was Kiwi.


	6. Hate in the Morning

Aelita awoke the following morning late, along with Jeremy. It was Saturday, and classes wouldn't begin again until Monday morning. Sunlight was streaming through the window, and the brightness made her blink hard against it. A loud, angry keeling drew her attention to the window pane. Truffle sat there, her tail twitching nervously, screaming for Aelita to awaken. Climbing out of bed, Aelita threw her night gown on again and went to the window to open it. The black cat streaked inside, and made a bee line to the door, where she began to claw and yowl even louder.

"I think the cat's hungry," Aelita yawned, tugging at her hair as Jeremy put on his glasses drowsily. "I' m going to go to my room and feed her." Jeremy nodded, and lay down again, closing his eyes. Aelita cracked the door, looked both ways to ensure the hall was clear of both Jim and the students who would rat her out, before stealthily closing the door and walking to the stairs. Truffle streaked ahead of her, screaming her feline protests loudly. "Shh! Truffle, someone will hear you!" Aelita raced after her cat, and when she cleared the landing, she saw Truffle pawing underneath the door rapidly. Aelita got a sudden chill. What was wrong? Why wasn't Clarity opening the window for Truffle? Did… No, they had destroyed X.A.N.A, there was no way he was back. What if… Aelita opened the door and froze at what she saw.

Jeremy's cell phone screeched in his ear, and he frantically fumbled around, trying to find it. "Hello?" he said, muffling a yawn.

"Would you please come to my room with Ulrich?" Aelita's voice was tight and short, her anxiety coming through the ear piece. Jeremy snapped his phone shut, threw his clothes on quickly, and hopped across the hall to Odd and Ulrich's room as he pulled on his pants. His mind was racing with possibilities of what could have happened in the last thirty seconds. He yanked Ulrich from bed, and the two of them ran breathlessly to the floor above.

"What's wrong, Aelita, what's the code red?" Ulrich grumbled, upset at being woken up so rudely.

"I just need you to make sure that everyone survives," she said, her usually light and innocent voice dark with rage.

"What are you…" Aelita threw open the door, allowing it to bang against the wall of her room. With a yowl, Truffle ran in, leapt onto the desk, and turned to face Clarity's bed, her hackles raised as she hissed. Odd and Clarity startled awake in each other's arms, confused. "Odd, you idiot! What are-" Ulrich's words were slashed as Aelita stormed into the room.

"What do you think you are doing!" She shouted, grabbing Odd's yellow hair and dragging him by the roots onto the floor. Odd shouted in pain, and as Ulrich and Jeremy quickly followed Aelita inside, Jeremy shut the door, praying that no one on the floor would hear his girlfriend's shouts.

"Aelita, calm down," Ulrich cautioned, holding his hands out steadily. "I enjoy having a roommate."

"You shut up, you're only here to make sure his heart is still beating afterwards!" she hissed, before turning her gaze to the whimpering boy below her. "Odd Della Robbia, please, in the name of all things good and pure, please tell me that," She twisted Odd's head so he was looking at Clarity, who was mussing her green hair in bed, "did _not_ happen."

"Geez, Odd, I told you to leave her alone, you brought this on yourself," Jeremy said sadly, shaking his head. A quiet knock on the door caused everyone to hold their breath. Yumi's head popped into the door crack, her eyebrow high with curiosity.

"We have a party in here, or what?" she asked.

"It's actually about to be a wake," Ulrich chuckled, pulling his girlfriend into the room and shutting the door behind her. "Odd wasn't in our room when I came home last night; turns out he spent the night here."

"Oh, Odd, you sneaky little creep! We told you to –"

"I told you to leave her alone!" Aelita shrieked, cutting off Yumi. She gave a sharp tug on his hair as she continued, emphasizing each word. "How. Could. You. Even. Think. That."

"Ow! Relax!" Odd shouted, smacking her hand out of his hair. He gave his head a sharp shake, and several long strands of hair fell from his head. "Look at what you did! You pulled my hair out by the roots!"

"Believe me, that's only the beginning of all the pain I am going to cause you," Aelita seethed, her hands balling into fists.

"We didn't do anything that you think we did Aelita," Odd grumbled, massaging his scalp with a sigh.

"If you think that I would believe that for even one second, Odd, you're even denser than I thought!" Aelita shouted, her eyes squeezing shut with the force she was yelling.

"But we didn't do anything, Aelita," Clarity said finally when her sister was done shouting, removing her hands from her ears. Aelita's eyes snapped open and she stared hard at her sister. Clarity was always so honest, but Aelita found the physical evidence of them in bed together hard to ignore. "Yeah, he spent the night and we slept together, and by slept together, I mean curled up next to each other and shut our eyes for an extended period of time, but nothing else happened." Clarity turned to each of her friends in turn, meeting their startled gazes steadily, before finally turning to stare openly at her sister. Odd rose to his feet when he gauged that Aelita's fury had subsided enough, and sat down with a huff next to the green haired girl.

"Trust us, Aelita, nothing happened," he smiled, before turning his gaze to Clarity. His hand smoothed her frizzy bed head, and stroked her cheek ever so gently. "I have to prove I can be worthy of her," he whispered sincerely, his words only meant for her. Clarity grinned and nuzzled against his palm, and began to feel secure with him; maybe, just maybe, he could be a one woman guy, and just maybe, she could be that one.

"Well!" Odd piped, jumping to his feet. "I better get a move on the day! I slept through breakfast, and I'm starving!" He stooped, took Clarity's hand and gave it a quick kiss, before swaggering out the door. "Come on, Ulrich, or Rosa will give away my seconds to Nicolas again!" He disappeared out the door, and everyone stared after him, speechless.

"Now I've seen it all," Ulrich muttered, shaking his head, before jogging after his friend. Yumi chuckled to herself as her boyfriend left.

"You must be pretty special to him, Clarity, if he chose sleeping next to you longer over pancakes." While the other girls laughed, Jeremy stared distantly at the floor. "Hey, Jeremy, are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh yeah," he yawned, covering his mouth quickly. I was just zoning out."

"Aelita spent the whole night with Jeremy last night," Clarity stated matter-o-fact. Aelita choked, and Jeremy's glare shot to meet Clarity's smug gaze.

"Oh? Is that so?" Yumi purred, spending her time on each word as her eyebrows raised. She put her elbow on Jeremy's shoulder, leaning on him, wagging her eyebrows with a suggestive smirk. "Wanna' tell me about all the fun you two had "programming?"" she teased, putting air quotes around the word. Jeremy rushed to the door and turned to his girlfriend.

"I'll meet you in the cafeteria," he grunted, before hurrying away. When Yumi turned her attention to Aelita, she sighed, and pointed after her boyfriend.

"I'm sure you want all the nitty gritty details, but go ask Jeremy about it. I need some time alone with my sister." Yumi trotted to the door and closed it gently behind her, before dashing after Jeremy, calling his name.

Aelita sat next to her sister gingerly, her gaze focused on her folded hands in her lap. Clarity scooted closer, and rested her head on her older sister's shoulder, closing her eyes. Aelita threw her arms around Clairty, and Clarity nuzzled deeper into Aelita's side with a happy sigh, loving the affection. Aelita rested her chin on her sister's head, her hand stroking her green hair into tameness. She inhaled her sister's scent of clean bed linens and youth, deep in thought.

"What are you thinking about, sissy?" Clarity questioned, snuggling into her sister's embrace.

"About you and Odd."

"He's taking me out on a date tonight."

"It will be your first." A few more moments of silence. "I am scared."

"What of?" Clarity said, her eyes opening partially.

"Well… like Lyoko, things aren't always what they seem here. You could be used again," Aelita said, her voice strained, as her arms tightened protectively around her sister's small form. After getting to know who her sister was, an honest, blunt person, who didn't see the point in using her energy to lie, Aelita had finally come to terms with the fact that Franz Hopper, their biologically shared father, had only been a dad to one of them. Over the years, Aelita had watched her baby sister grow so much in her confidence, and had finally learned how to trust others again. The idea of her possibly being used and hurt again, and by one of the first people she had learned to trust, as Odd was the first to meet her, made Aelita's stomach tighten; this was the only family she had left, and she couldn't bear to see Clarity in pain.

Clarity pulled away from her sister, just enough so she could look up into her eyes. "You all can't protect me from pain forever," she said plainly, tilting her head. Aelita squeezed her eyes shut, and tried to smother her sister in another hug, but Clarity pushed back. "Aelita, stop. You can't protect me forever! You, Jeremy, Ulrich and Yumi… I appreciate all you guys have ever done for me, more than you will ever know, but Odd has helped me too, and the feelings I have for him…they won't go away just because you four keep telling him to stay away." She folded her hands in her lap, and stared at them. "I know how he has treated other girls in the past, I'm not dense…that's why I want him to prove himself to me." She looked her sister boldly in the eye, her voice firm. "I won't be a pawn to play with ever again."

"No, you certainly will not," Aelita said slowly, shaking her head slightly. When had her sister suddenly grown up? Odd and Clarity's first date was unremarkable; a simple dinner at a small family owned café and a brief walk in the park. Every date following was just as uneventful; a picnic, a night at the cinema, going to the zoo, and various other activities. And throughout all these dates, not once did Clarity allow Odd to steal a kiss, to hold her hand, or hold her around the waist. She kept her physical distance, seeing if all he wanted was another body to stroke, and Odd Della Robbia didn't try to cross the boundary. He respected her decision to hold her at bay, and for the first time in his life, he found himself content just to be near another human being. The other Lyoko Warriors kept an eye on him when Clarity was away, and were amazed; never did Odd show even the slightest hint of disloyalty. Should another girl make any sort of advance, Odd would coldly reject them, saying he had all he needed.

Many would wonder if this was even a successful relationship; where was the expensive dinners, the moonlit serenades, and the adventure? But to these two, the simple things, like walking Kiwi, floating in the pool, fishing in the lake around the factory, were the greatest moments. They had spent the past three years getting to know each other like the back of their own hand; there was no need to try and impress someone who already knew everything about you. On that first day, when they were taking a leisurely stroll through the park, and Clarity finally slipped her hand into his, and Odd threw his arm around her shoulders easily, neither of them missed a step; finally, Clarity had accepted what had been a long time in coming.


	7. The Hermitage: Repurposed (Conclusion)

**Finally back from vacation, now I can write again! A fellow user by the name of** The-Ghost-writer-Unknown **expressed some concerns as to the origins and soundness of my story. Below, in italics and yellow, was my responding clarification! Should you not feel the need for the extra and rather lengthy monologue, detailing how Clarity's existence is possible, please skip down to the regular font, where the final chapter of my Lyoko story begins!**

 _In season 3, episode 1, episode 54 in all, Lyoko Minus One, X.A.N.A succeeds in destroying the forest sector. However, in between episodes William Returns and Double Take, season 4 episode one and two, or 66 and 67, the forest sector is rebuilt by a joint effort of Aelita and Jeremy.(Source:codelyoko.) The forest sector is completely redigitized, without the two geniuses having to recode in every little thing about the sector, the length of the trees, the green forest floor, etc. They were able to recreate it with the leftover data scraps, with the towers or sectors being damaged. My OC's existence is based on this premise: she was created and captured before the Lyoko Warriors' time, and was in a sort of coma in the Guardian. She was destroyed along with the sector in Lyoko Minus One, but when the sector was rebuilt, so was she._ _  
_ _s, the forest sector, along with the other sectors, was destroyed completely by the end of the original show. However, in the synopsis of season 4, episode 29, or overall episode 94, it states that Jeremy intends to create his multi-agent system because there are simply too many replikas for the team to destroy as they had been, one by one. Hence, the program will destroy the multiple replika sectors of the mountains, forest, desert, and ice sectors. I'm sure we have all heard that once something is on the internet, it doesn't go away. Well, after the deconstruction of the replikas, the data and coding blueprints X.A.N.A used to create his replikas didn't simply go "ka-put" into the Digital Sea, (A.K.A., the world wide web) as nothing on the internet is truly removed. So, the forest sector was recreated into its original state, without X.A.N.A around to corrupt it._

"Laser Arrow!" Odd shot off a duo of darts across the frozen landscape, only to have Clarity dodge behind a iceberg. With a quiet swear, Odd took cover behind his own wall of ice, hiding from the fan that Yumi had thrown.

"We aren't going to make it," Aelita gasped, covering her pink head with her hands as the impact of the fan shook some flakes of frost onto her hair.

"Yes we are!" Ulrich grunted, peeking out from behind his shield. "We have to try and flank them! Odd, Aelita, draw their attention, on the left! I will try to Supersprint around the right and get through!" With a nod of their heads, the three Lyoko Warriors dashed out front behind their cover, battle cries ringing in their ears.

Perhaps you would fail to recognize the Lyoko Warriors now. Many years have passed since their days at Kadic, and things had changed immensely. Sad but true, all six of them had grown up, as children do. Jeremy had grown to be the leading I.T technician for a major business corporation that focused on technological advancement. Aelita owned her own record company, signing new artist contracts and spinning her own tunes. Together, the power couple had succeeded even after their school years. Ulrich now taught Pencak Silant with Yumi at a small, cramped studio in the city; the money was decent, and their studio's rising notoriety was starting to rake in the money. Odd was the Art and Music teacher at Kadic Academy, returning after having hated it for years with happiness. Clarity worked in a small, little known flower shop a ways out from the bustle of the city. Their simple living and small paychecks didn't matter much to them; they found happiness in the priceless.

Over many years, and after having paid off any loans and debts, the six of them had finally bought the rights to the Hermitage. Refurbished and fresh, the home was their hidden oasis from their jobs; at least once every few months, they all made the effort to stay the weekend together. Sissy, Herb, Nicolas, William, and several other old school friends of theirs often stayed with them as well, laughing and reminiscing on the past. To the unknowing eye, this vacation home was a regular pleasure.

However, to those who knew, things weren't so ordinary. Naturally, Jeremy had ordered the tunnel leading to the old factory collapsed, so no one could accidently stumble upon the metal door that led to the secret tunnel. However, behind the seemingly tightly sealed tile of the far, rarely used, and rather inconveniently placed bathroom, a tiny, pitch black crawl space could be found. So small and damp was the entrance, that all who would stumble upon it would believe it was a structural error in a ancient but renovated house. But to six Lyoko Warriors, it was their escape. After shimmying down in the claustrophobic dark, one would find themselves in a room with a expansive chair and countless screens before a complex keyboard. After pouring their funds into buying the Hermitage and rebuilding it, the six best friends pouring every spare penny into constructing a supercomputer from scratch, under Jeremy's careful instruction. After years of coding and programming and frustration, Jeremy and Aelita had succeeded in rebuilding a second Lyoko, this time, without an evil computer program. This, of all things, was their sweet escape.

When life became tough and their nostalgic ties to the virtual world became too strong, the six adults would wiggle down into their past lives. The four original sectors had been rebuilt, and during the summer, when Jeremy could take off vacation time, he was rebuilding Sector 5. Now, this duo Lyoko was used as a sort of ultimate sports arena. Currently, a rather heated game of capture the flag was being played.

As Odd and Aelita fired off brutally at Clarity and Yumi, who yelped in surprise, Ulrich charged around their blind side; there! He could see the glowing blue flag with the Lyoko sigil on the front. He ran to grab it, and was just about to have it when- -

"Sonic Shot!" A slithery, blue streak of electricity sizzled into Ulrich's wrist, causing him to hop backwards with a grunt of pain. Ulrich turned his head and glared viciously at Jeremy, who stood rather cockily, blowing at the swirl of smoke coming front the mouth of his gun.

When the Warriors had first been virtualized into the new, danger free Lyoko, they had been surprised when their local genius had virtualized himself after them. After their gaping mouths and stutters of confusion, Jeremy had finally laughed and shrugged.

"What, you thought you got to have all the fun now, where the caution meter is at zero? It was about time I got to try out my digital wings." Ulrich was rather frustrated; Jeremy looked _nothing_ like he had the one and only time he had traveled to Lyoko before X.A.N.A.'s demise; now, sporting a rather flattering, dark blue, skin tight suit and a helmet resembling a motocross one. Jeremy looked rather impressive and threatening. On his slender hips, a black holster rested easily, in which two, electric pistols sat cradled.

"Wh…Where was the _other_ costume?" Ulrich sputtered angrily, waving his hands dramatically. Jeremy snorted, shaking his head.

"You really thought I would let anyone ever see me looking like that again? I spent the whole night reconfiguring my digital attire." Pressing a small button on the side of his helmet, a sharp whirring noise sounded, and a clear, digital screen slid in front of his eyes, replacing his earthly glasses.

Aelita, who had been trying out her wings for the first time in decades, alighted next to her husband. "Impressive," she grinned.

Ulrich dove behind a ripple in the snow, barely avoiding the second electric bullet Jeremy fired at him. Odd scrambled beside him, and with a nod, both leapt from their hiding spot.

"Triplicate!" Ulrich surrounded Jeremy quickly, and his brow furrowed with frustration as he shot wildly about.

"Laser Arrow!" Odd shouted, sending a volley of arrows at his friend. The first hit home on Jeremy's chest, and as Odd glanced up, the red team, his team, was pulling ahead; his hit had earned them ten points. Clarity launched herself in front of the other darts, and swirling her whips around her in a seething orb of defense, knocked them away. With a flick of her wrist, she swiped at the countless Ulrich's feet, and as her pronged whip wrapped around his ankle, she tripped him and sent him flying away. As he slid across the ice, she punished Ulrich by lashing rapidly with her whips, while Jeremy shot bullet after electric bullet at Odd.

"Shield!" Odd gasped, blocking just in time. As he brought his arms down, he saw another wave of bullets zooming towards him, and he was forced to raise his shield again. "Aelita, help!" On cue, Aelita fell from the sky, tucking her pinky angel wings in tightly to her body.

"Energy Field!" Her attack sent Clarity sprawling onto her front, and she shoved Jeremy onto his back as she flew by. Ulrich glanced at the floating scoreboard; the red team had sixty points, and the blue only had twenty, and the clock was winding down to the final few seconds.

"We've got this one in the bag," Odd laughed confidently, shooting some arrows at his wife, who barely rolled clear of his attack in time. Suddenly, the clock stopped ticking, and all the players looked up.

"Blue team victory," said an emotionless, mechanical voice as the scoreboard flashed. Seventy to sixty, the red team had lost.

"How…"Ulrich sputtered, but suddenly groaned as every spotted the clock stopper. While everyone had been focusing on the all out brawl that had ensued in the center of the arena, no one noticed Yumi sneak onto enemy land. Now, hopping up and down triumphantly and waving the red flag jubilantly, everyone knew how the blue team had managed to gain fifty points with seconds on the clock.

"Ah man!" Odd groaned, kicking the snow beneath his paw. Aelita growled in frustration, and using her Creativity, caused the ice to disappear beneath Yumi's feet. With a surprised yelp, she fell below the sector and into the mist below. However, instead of being lost forever in the Digital Sea, as what would have happened on the original Lyoko, Yumi simply rematerialized beside her friends, the red flag still in her grasp. Yumi waved it teasingly in front of Aelita's face, and she batted it away with a grin.

"Sneaky devil," Aelita laughed, pushing Yumi away.

"Maybe if you would pay better attention to your base, you would win more!" Yumi giggled, wagging the flag again in front of the losing team. As the girl's continued to bicker, Jeremy rolled his eyes and turned his gaze to the virtual sky above.

"Computer, devirtualization in three," he commanded.

"Devirtualization in three…two…one…" the sexless voice faded as his vision grew bright and sightless. A loud whirring caught his attention, and with an industrial gasp and a puff of smoke, Jeremy stumbled out of one of the six scanners. The others stumbled clumsily as well, trying to catch their bearings. After a few moments, with a smile, Yumi went over to the nearby chalk board and added a tally beneath the blue team; they were now leading by one game.

"That lead will be gone by tomorrow," Ulrich grunted, throwing his arm heavily around Yumi's shoulders.

"I wouldn't be so sure, I've been on a roll," Yumi smiled, her arm weaving around his waist. The six enter the adjacent computer room, bathed in a blue light, and carefully climbed the steps to the tight tunnel that led to the house above. After washing off the numerous flecks of mud in the sink, the six headed boisterously down to the kitchen, the competitive thrill still charging even the meekest in the group to call out taunts. Clarity poured all of them a drink, each adult their own, favorite poison.

"First drink goes to Yumi, for an outstanding win over the losing team," Clarity called, handing her friend a full glass of red wine.

"Cheated," Aelita whispered loudly to Odd.

"Hush," Yumi said confidently, before taking a long sip from her tall glass. Her winning team mates cheered, and Clarity slammed back her flavored shot and Jeremy took a more reserved sip from his beer bottle. The six of them drank into the night, the house all to themselves this weekend. As the drinks slowed and the words slurred happily, Clarity began to clean up the bottles and glasses courteously, before Aelita and Ulrich began to help. Jeremy offered to help, but clumsily almost sent a glass shattering to the floor.

"Never could quiet hold your liquor, could you Einstein?" Odd laughed fondly. Ulrich took the glass from Jeremy's hands and patted him on the shoulder gently as Aelita took his arm.

"I'm going to help him to bed," she said with a yawn, waving to her earthly family. The others bade each other goodnight, and each went off to their respective rooms. Yumi tore her clothes off and climbed into bed with Ulrich, nestling into his chest in a rare display of tender affection. He stroked her hair and hummed quietly, enjoying the alcohol's buzz and the silk of her black head.

"Great steal tonight, babe," Ulrich whispered gently, kissing the top of her head.

"Thanks," she muttered, nuzzling against him closer. The two felt the rise and fall of their significant other's chest, taking simple pleasure in the presence of the other. As the two doze off into a slurry sleep, each dreamt of Krabs and Bloks coming for them, but in Ulrich's dream, Yumi was always there to save him, and in Yumi's, Ulrich never left her side.

When the two woke up to the smell of pancakes and the sizzling of bacon the following morning, they could hardly jump out of bed fast enough. In the kitchen, Clarity and Jeremy whizzed about cohesively, cooking effortlessly together, as they did often at home, when Odd and Clarity would go over to Jeremy and Aelita's house so the sister's could see each other once a week at least. Odd groaned every few moments, a hangover pounding just behind his eyes, while Aelita nursed a cup of water beside him, flipping through channel on the television. Kiwi and Truffle were both upstairs in the Della Robbia's room, avoiding the early noise; they didn't bother going downstairs to beg for food, they both knew that Odd would sneak them scraps.

"Come on, buddy, loosen up, know your limit," Ulrich grinned, rubbing Odd's shoulder roughly.

"Ow! Too hard!" Odd grumbled, swatting away his friend's hands. As the two began to wrestle, Aelita rose and crossed the room gracefully, before perching on the piano's bench and beginning with Twinkle Twinkle Little Star just as her father taught her, before diving into a more complex and calming ballad. Ulrich sat next to Odd drowsily, and the two stopped arguing long enough to enjoy her tune. Yumi thanked Jeremy as he handed her the first plate of food, before Clarity turned to the stove and turned it off. The bacon ceased its noisy popping, and the whole house breathed tranquilly as they listened to Aelita play easily, her tune whispering of trials of old, and adventures yet to come.

 **Thanks for reading, my pretties! I will be doing at least one more Lyoko fanfic at the request of a fellow user; this fanfic will follow the plotline of the tv show, but will be told primarily from the point of view of a OC. Keep your eyes peeled!**


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